Five years after closing, Martin County boot camp leaves legacy of success

MARTIN COUNTY — Andre Edmonds, a graduate of the Martin County Juvenile Offender Training Center, can still recall the 4 a.m. wake-up calls, the grueling training exercises and the strict supervision he endured during his more than two-year stay at the boot camp.

But now, five years after the center has closed, Edmonds, a West Palm Beach native, said his greatest memory from the camp will be the relationships he formed that changed his life forever.

"Without the camp, I'd be dead or in prison; no doubt," said Edmonds, 24, now a construction worker in Coconut Creek. "Kids who need that program are missing out."

During the boot camp's 12-year run, the program, which served the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach and Okeechobee counties, provided education and structure for more than 180 male teens to earn high school diplomas. It was also successful in helping prevent about 80 percent of its graduates, who were often not first-time offenders, from committing other crimes.

On June 30, 2006, the camp closed its doors because of a lack of state funding, leaving many in the juvenile justice division worried as to where these at-risk teens would end up. The facility, leased by the state, is now used as a high-risk, intensive mental health commitment program for up to 30 girls ages 13 to 18.

According to the state Department of Juvenile Justice, 855 teens ages 13 to 18 are in juvenile justice programs in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties as of June 1. Since 2007, the number of local juveniles in the system has steadily decreased.

Pam Roebuck, assistant state attorney in charge of Martin County's juvenile division, said the reason for the decline in juvenile cases is unknown.

She said the downturn in the economy may have caused many to move from the area, which drove numbers down. Or, the lack of resources in juvenile crime prevention programs have caused many to restructure programs making them more effective.

Roebuck said there are many centers, ranging from low-risk to maximum-risk, and community programs across the state to help rehabilitate teens. While these programs have helped drive down cases of juvenile crime, Roebuck said she has not compared them to see if they have been as successful as the boot camp.

"There's always a danger when the really good programs close," Roebuck said. "State statistics show (the boot camps) were the better programs; they were good accountability partners."

Roebuck said the true key to success with any program has to start with dedicated individuals who form relationships with troubled teens.

The 12-month-long Martin County program, which served males ages 14 to 18, was split into three, four-month phases starting from a traditional military-style boot camp phase evolving into a work-release program.

"We focused on education, self-improvement and responsibility and other good qualities we want to see in young men," said Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder. "People think boot camp is all about screaming and hollering and doing push-ups; it was much more focused on developing the individual."

In 2006, Crowder sparred with Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, then a state representative and the head of the House Appropriations Committee, and other state Republicans to keep the program adequately funded, but efforts ultimately failed.

"Few people lobby for children's programs," Crowder said. "It's an area that has been easy for legislators, and people who provide the funding, to overlook. We need to be more cognizant of the need for proper prevention methods and treatment. You can't get it done correctly on the cheap."

Negron, who said he worked to secure thousands to extend the program in the past, said he has done everything in his power as a legislator to support the efforts of the camp and similar mentoring programs.

"I think the state needs to spend an appropriate amount of money in that area," Negron said. "Given the economic situation in the state, we've done our very best to find a delicate balance between giving opportunities for young people to turn their lives around while recognizing the principle of individual responsibility."

Today, local juvenile delinquents who would've otherwise been sent to the camp are sent to the Okeechobee Juvenile Offenders Correction Center or placed in other centers or programs throughout the state.

The State Attorney's office is working to place kids in secular or faith-based programs and other small, structured community programs.

Martin County Sheriff's officer Capt. Lloyd Jones, who worked with troubled youths at the boot camp, works with the Martin County Boys & Girls Club to help at-risk youths. While working at the camp he formed a close bond with Edmonds, which still exists today.

Jones, who admits he was an at-risk teen, said this population doesn't need to be locked up to learn. Instead, he thinks providing strict guidance and an education is the answer to long-term rehabilitation.

"I just think we need better people working in the system," Jones said. "It isn't the program, it's the people. To make people responsible and hold them to those life skills, and care about children and see these kids become successful, I think that's the key to making any program successful."